The need for toys and clothing to make Christmas brighter for needy children in Kewanee is greater than ever. Yet the Salvation Army has fewer names on its Angel Tree list this year than in the past.

Why? Because other Christmas toy drives have taken over part of the Salvation Army’s responsibilities.

Linda Bolls, Salvation Army director in Kewanee, said her organization is no longer accepting Angel Tree requests for children from birth to 3. Other local toy drives, such as the Marine Corps League’s Toys for Needy Kids and Patchy’s Red, White and Blue Toy Drive are providing assistance to those children.

So while the Salvation Army has a few less names on its Christmas list this year, there is still a great need in the community, Bolls said.

“In the last month I have had four new people in, who have never ever asked for assistance before,” she said. “That just tells me that this recession is not over. There’s still a lot of hurting and needy people out there.”

The Salvation Army takes applications for Angel Tree gifts in late fall. Parents fill out a form listing the child (or children’s) age, clothing sizes and preferences for toys.

Angel Tree tags are out at Peoples National Bank, the Kewanee YMCA, Crowe Auto Group, Community State Bank, the State Bank of Toulon’s Kewanee branch and Walmart.

People are asked to take a tag from one of the trees, then go shopping for the items on the child’s list. “People can buy exactly for (the child’s) life,” Bolls said. “If the girl wants a Barbie doll, or the boy wants a toy train, we’re right there.

“We’ve asked the people that signed up not to put any electronic toys on there,” Bolls added. “Those games get too expensive, and we don’t expect people to buy them for them.”

Once they’ve purchased all the items, people can bring them to the Salvation Army store on Tremont Street in downtown Kewanee, or to the service desk at Walmart.

The deadline for people to purchase and turn in the toys and clothing is Dec. 14. The toys will be distributed to the families on Dec. 17 and 18 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Salvation Army store.